Family Nurse Practitioners

In Texas, nurse practitioners, NPs are registered as registered nurse and nurse practitioners. The family NP must possess current, valid, unencumbered license as a registered nurse in Texas. They must show evidence of educational preparation. Further, the State of Texas requires family nurse practitioners to have 20 contact hours of continuing education every two year. They must also possess advanced nursing role and specialty certification recognized by the board.
Unless the family nurse practitioner graduated from appropriate program within the preceding biennium, they must have a minimum of 400 hours of current practice within the preceding biennium. Additionally, the family NP must have successfully completed courses in advanced assessment,
pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics as well as the diagnosis and management of problems within the clinical specialty.
The type of physician supervision is based on PAA or protocol. Any NP entering into a Presumptive Authority Agreement is required to disclose previous disciplinary action by a licensing board and if one is under investigation, they must notify the other parties to the PAA. Under the Texan regulations, the NP may delegate Rx authority to 7 FTEs although there is no limit in licensed hospitals.
Professional Organizations Available for Membership
The professional organizations available for family nurse practitioners include the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Central Texas Nurse Practitioners, and Texas Nurse Practitioners.
These organizations advocate for members’ professional development and encourage leadership. They also play an integral role in shaping the quality of health care. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners advocates for the active role of nursing practitioners as providers of comprehensive, cost-effective, and high quality patient-centered health care.
The Central Texas Nurse Practitioners, CTNP, on the other hand, represents Advanced Practice Nurses in the Central Texas region by promoting networking at the state and national levels. CTNP provides professional and educational development among the NPs. Further, CTNP is a resource for APN students and APNs in the areas of evidence-based practice, political issues, healthcare policy, and research.
The Texas Nurse Practitioners acts as the voice of NPs in the state on improving patient access to quality care. It also ensures integrity and ethics in governance and the practice of health care. Further, the Texas Nurse Practitioners advocates for member needs and respect for inclusivity and
diversity.
Competencies and Certification Requirements for Family Nurse Practitioners
Family nurse practitioner’s competencies include scientific foundation competencies, leadership competencies, quality competencies, practice inquiry competencies.
Other competencies are health delivery system competencies, policy competencies, ethics competencies, and practice inquiry competencies.
The NP should integrate scientific and humanities knowledge within the nursing science context. They should also provide leadership to enhance collaboration with stakeholders. The NPs should utilize the best available evidence to ensure an improved clinical practice quality. They should provide leadership and apply clinical investigative skills to enhance health outcomes. Ethically, the NP should apply ethically-sound solutions to care issues.
The certification requirements for a family NP include a master’s degree from a family nurse practitioner program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The individual must also have completed comprehensive graduate-level courses, such as advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology, and advanced
pathophysiology.